Abakundakawa is
a 1700 member cooperative that mills its coffee at the Rushashi washing
station. The average altitude here is 1600 to 1800 meters for coffee
production, the varietal is traditional Bourbon seedstock, and the
typical wet process method is used, with sun-drying on raised beds
or patio. This is fair trade certified, part of the USAID project in
Rwanda to improve the quality of life ... but it is also a special
micro-lot separated from the bulk production of the Abakundakawa coop.
This is produced exclusively by a women's group, Duhingekawa, a sub-group
of the coop, and we have paid a premium for this particular lot that
is returned directly to the women producers.

Here's some more detailed information that explains
the situation in more detail, this coming from the importer/development
folks in the UK who are doing the groundwork on this coffee:

"Of the current 1,760 members of
Abakundakawa Coop, 720 are women. Currently, 70 women make up the
Duhingekawa women’s group, a name that means “let us grow
coffee” in
Kinyarwanda. The women who are in the Abakundakawa group are women heads
of household, to use project jargon. That means their husbands were mostly
killed at the time of the genocide. They are looking after their own
children, but often they are also looking after orphans from families
of relatives, and even of non-relatives, where both parents were killed.
They have formed a group within ABK. I'm afraid when we talked to the
ABK president, Charles Habinshuti, this morning he did not know the name
or the numbers of the group, but promised to find out and tell us. This
group has met several times, and agreed amongst themselves to deliver
their best coffee as a group to ABK. This coffee is separately received
and treated throughout the washing station system at Rushashi. We are
fortunate in having a very good storekeeper at ABK, Joselyne, (I sent
you her photo yesterday) and she follows what's going on with this coffee
from cherry to store, where she becomes responsible for it. The only
coffee we are offering from this group is their A1 (most dense grade
of parchment) above screen 16 (largest green beans). So at least 50%
and probably more of the women's coffee is not being offered as part
of the special lot, but is being bulked with the rest of the ABK coffee,
according to its grade and screen sizeFrom my perspective as a development
person, the most interesting thing about this women's initiative is when
it starts to influence the more general culture going on around it in
the coffee farming community. Obviously, the women want to get a better
price for their coffee if they can, by differentiating it in this way.
They do take great pains with it, it is only their best coffee, so it
might well end up being better in the cup than the average, although
how much better remains to be seen. What the president says is that if
they do get a better price, it will encourage men from other households
(coffee is a male-owned crop in Rwanda, except in the case of women heads
of households) to share their coffee farm with their wives, because it
will benefit the family in general if the women's coffee can be sold
for more than the average price for coffee of similar grade and size.
Now this may seem obvious, but in fact it is truly revolutionary stuff.
If the men can be motivated to share their coffee trees with their wives,
things start to change in society. The women now have their own financial
resources, they can choose what to do with at least some of that money.
It empowers them economically, it increases their status in the community,
it makes them more independent, it helps to even out the balance of economic
power between women and men. It sets an example to others, and spreads
the benefits of coffee wider and more sustainably. This is true even
within a single family, as the woman has responsibility for the children,
but to some extent the man can spend his money how he likes. "

I cupped it against
various AA, A1 and A2 lots from other nearby coop lots, and found a
very distinct, beautiful character in this coffee. The fragrance here
has soft floral notes and (a theme throughout the cup) a sweet citrus
note. The aroamtic is where the coffee comes to life; a bouquet of
orange blossom, slightly winey. The cup fulfills the promise of the
aromatics: jasmine and citrus flowers, sweetness, vivid aftertaste,
and a remarkaby silky body (although not that heavy). This is still
somewhat of a delicate cup, and really requires the right roast to
reveal it's true character. My lighter City roasts were baked-tasting,
under-developed. It was better with a few days rest, but it never had
a very "complete" profile. The sweetness has a sweet brown
malt flavor, caramelly, and lingers through the long aftertaste. This
is not a powerhouse cup, but roasted and brewed correctly, it is remarkably
attractive, with Yirgacheffe and Kenya hints.